Wiendish Fitch

Whoa, John Hodiak gives ... an actual performance?! Now this I gotta see!

I hope I don't come off as mindlessly contrarian, but most of my favorite Val Lewton films are the more underrated ones: Isle of the Dead (feels more relevant than ever), Ghost Ship (an early indictment of toxic masculinity) and Bedlam (Anna Lee plays the spunkiest and most engaging of Lewton's heroines). I adore Cat People, but I found Curse of the Cat People lackluster. I also don't care for The Seventh Victim (I really don't like Kim Hunter's acting in this one) and I Walked With a Zombie (but that's because I've always hated Jane Eyre). I've been meaning to rewatch The Body Snatcher. Any reason to watch Karloff is a good one!

Ha! Good point! I love Val Lewton, though I confess I found The Leopard Man underwhelming. Maybe I should give it another chance.

James Earl Jones is a delight in Conan, striking just the right balance between campy and intimidating. Even in the goofy scene where he transforms into a snake, Jones manages to keep his dignity. Conan the Barbarian is a fun movie overall (avoid the sequel at all costs).

One of the all time great talents (and voices) is gone forever. James Earl Jones's voice was so haunting, memorable and (forgive the cliche) iconic, it's hard to believe he struggled with a stutter in his youth. What I loved about Jones was that he really was an "actor's actor". I normally don't like that expression, but when you think about it, he was. Jones really did have a passion and respect for his craft, and stardom never seemed to be his MO. He could headline a movie (The Great White Hope) or a play (Fences), but he was able to leave indelible impressions playing supporting or even character parts. He once played a blind nursing home resident in an episode of Frasier, and it's easily one of my favorite episodes of the series.

Same situation at my workplace. I'm an incurable slob for the most part, but even I can pick up my trash and toss it!

Please don't. It's as gross as it sounds.

If it makes you feel better, I recently bought what I ASSUMED what a half-gallon of Mayfield reduced fat milk... turns out it was reduced fat buttermilk.* It was a yellow half-gallon, so genius that I am, I didn't even bother with a cursory glance at the damn label. Mr. Fitch found a use for it, but I felt like such a dumbass. *Ever put buttermilk in your coffee? Yeah, I don't recommend it.

I hope it all works out for you. I desperately want to quit my grocery store job... trouble is, people aren't exactly pounding down my door to hire me. Work has been pretty stressful. We are so short-staffed it's tragicomic. The grocery crew and I, we don't even take breaks anymore. 8 or 9 hours is pretty goddamned long to go without even a 30 minute meal, considering all the work we have to do (I also work the closing shift, which suuuuuuuuucks). I also cannot trust my schedule, because I either get called in 2 hours earlier than I'm initially scheduled, or they ask me to work on my day off. I usually say no to the latter, but that means someone else has to give up their day off, and then it's on my conscience. I hate that I can't plan my life, or take my schedule as a given. I've just been a ball of anxiety (moreso than usual) these days, and it's made worse knowing that my managers don't give a tinker's fart about us.

Blackbeard's Ghost (1968) A cute little outing, little bit of Canterville Ghost, with bits of Angels in the Outfield thrown in. I just adore Peter Ustinov (my second favorite Poirot!), and he's his usual, delightfully hammy self in this (it's as if he's teeing up to voice Prince John). Dean Jones actually plays someone with a backbone for a change! Imagine that! Suzanne Pleshette once again manages to make the most of the love interest part, and I think she looks like Gal Gadot from certain angles in this. I did love stuffy Dean Wheaton loudly cheering on the track team and telling Coach Pervis that he hates football. The dumbest things give me joy, I swear.

I recently watched The Ugly Dachshund (1966). It's basically cinematic cotton candy: Sweet and insubstantial, but certainly not bad. If you just want a movie with cute dogs, boy does this one deliver! Dean Jones is charmingly boyish and unthreatening as always, and Suzanne Pleshette sports some fabulous 60s hairdos and fashions. There's some unfortunate racial stereotypes involving some Asian workers (one of whom is played by a young Mako), but at least it doesn't last too long.

There was no perfect time in history. Crime has always existed. Everything has always been too expensive. Kids have always behaved badly. Good luck telling most people that.

Brutus the Great Dane and the dachshunds in The Ugly Dachshund are so cute! Still, I'd advise against watching this movie if you're a hardcore doxie fan, because they're painted to be little jerks who like to get others in trouble for their mischief.* *Unless there's truth to this portrayal? To any dachshund owners out there, feel free to weigh in!

Same with humans with souls! Wait... Wow, we could be here for days, finding all the holes in the Buffyverse lore if we're not careful.

I love Herbert Marshall for all the reasons you stated. He was a wonderful actor, and had such a remarkable life story. I love him so much in The Little Foxes. He's also fun in The Good Fairy or, as I like to call it, Amelie 66 Years Early.

Dammit, I wasn't planning on starting the day blubbering into my morning coffee! Seriously, you bet I'll watch this as soon as it's available. I need a break from documentaries about scumbags.

Ooops, my fault. Oh, well, the point stands: Xander is a douche.

Bolded mine, great points, both. Xander (and, honestly, Joss Whedon) strikes me as one of those men who practically break their neck nodding along in agreement to that Toby Keith song "How Do You Like Me Now?!"* Sick of apologizing, Xander? Yeah, well, Cordelia was sick of knowing you cheated on her. *Sorry, fans of the late Mr. Keith, but I really, really don't like that song.

All Corgis are wonderful. Change my mind.

Okay, fine, fair. Elizabeth Taylor married for the final time at age 59, so JLo better get a move-on.

Gosh darn it, I was hoping those two crazy, fifty-something kids would make it work the second time! I assure you that I'm not completely unromantic, and some people can revive a past relationship and make it work after another try, but I consider those instances the exception, not the rule. Even waaaaayyyy back in the day, I never bought "Bennifer" (ugh) as a couple, so it was only a matter of time before their relationship imploded yet again. Let me reiterate: More often than not, it's best to leave the past in the past. Nostalgia can often make us do dumb stuff. Thank you! And I bet the good Ms. Barrymore is happier for admitting this to herself!

I still mask up out of habit. Maybe it's silly, and I realize they're not magic or foolproof (I confess I did get covid late last year), but I still do it. A part of me really, really wants to stop, but I don't think we're 100% out of the woods yet. Coronavirus seems to reemerge in fits and starts, and I hate it. I'm as pro-vaxx as the day is long, but my only complaint is that I wish the vaccines could somehow make covid like chicken pox; once you get it, you're permanently immune and can't get it again (and I have once again outed myself as a science dum-dum). As for my co-worker, I just wish he could have-bare minimum!- said something like, "I'm sick with a fever, I couldn't ask for the time off, please try to keep your distance from me, I'm really sorry".

Never mind.

On one hand, I love Pauline Kael, but on the other, I can't really rush to her defense when others criticize her. Heck, sometimes even I find myself thinking, "Damn, woman, don't you like anyone or anything??". One author (I THINK it was John DiLeo) observed that Kael hated both Meryl Streep and Greer Garson (though poor Garson doesn't seem to be anyone's favorite), and he noted the physical similarities between the two women. Maybe that was why? Who knows...

Another legend lost. Thank you, Ms. Rowlands, for all the great work and all the actors you inspired.